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Martha Wexler and Jeff Lunden ("Maryland Rabbi Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Torah Scheme", Washington Post, February 3, 2012) state that the sentencing of Rabbi Menachem Youlus who lied about digging up hidden Torahs in Poland and selling them for profit is scheduled for June 21. He has reportedly been soliciting letters of support in an apparent attempt to avoid taking full responsibility. So far there has been no news.
Phil Jacobs,'Going postal - Youlus attorney encourages favorable mail be sent to judge' - Washington Jewish Week, 23 February 2012
UPDATE 10.08.12:
It is now approaching the middle of August 2012 and there has been no news of a sentencing hearing (or as far as I can see its postponement). Let us recall that in addition to cheating all those people, this guy was claiming to have imported these historic documents into the US from several other places, Germany, Iraq and POLAND, which would have been in violation of antiquities laws there, and this case is of far more than local importance. Let it be noted that if the US authorities had reacted to questions asked by people on the ground about the Iraqi and Polish cases at least - the fraud would not have continued as long as it did. As it was, these questions were simply ignored in the US - zero reaction.
Some of my former texts on the Youlus scam (The text on SAFE Corner is now a dead link):
Torah Story raises questions Tuesday, 25 November 2008
No-Questions-Asked-Antique-Torah Seller has Questions to Answer Thursday, 4 February 2010
Three Years on, Smuggled Torah from Iraq Still in Maryland Synagogue? Thursday, 7 October 2010Martha Wexler and Jeff Lunden ("Maryland Rabbi Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Torah Scheme", Washington Post, February 3, 2012) state that the sentencing of Rabbi Menachem Youlus who lied about digging up hidden Torahs in Poland and selling them for profit is scheduled for June 21. He has reportedly been soliciting letters of support in an apparent attempt to avoid taking full responsibility. So far there has been no news.
Phil Jacobs,'Going postal - Youlus attorney encourages favorable mail be sent to judge' - Washington Jewish Week, 23 February 2012
UPDATE 10.08.12:
It is now approaching the middle of August 2012 and there has been no news of a sentencing hearing (or as far as I can see its postponement). Let us recall that in addition to cheating all those people, this guy was claiming to have imported these historic documents into the US from several other places, Germany, Iraq and POLAND, which would have been in violation of antiquities laws there, and this case is of far more than local importance. Let it be noted that if the US authorities had reacted to questions asked by people on the ground about the Iraqi and Polish cases at least - the fraud would not have continued as long as it did. As it was, these questions were simply ignored in the US - zero reaction.
Some of my former texts on the Youlus scam (The text on SAFE Corner is now a dead link):
Torah Story raises questions Tuesday, 25 November 2008
No-Questions-Asked-Antique-Torah Seller has Questions to Answer Thursday, 4 February 2010
Save-A-Torah Rabbi Menachem Youlus Arrested in Manhattan on Fraud Charges Friday, 26 August 2011
The Youlus (Save-a-Torah) Fraud Case Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Let us also note the names of the synagogues whose congregations put their own needs to 'touch history' above the law of the countries from which they thought these objects had been stolen. For example:
- The New York Central Synagogue at Lexington Avenue and 55th Street hoped it was holding a Torah stolen from Auschwitz
- Temple Isaiah in Fulton, Maryland hoped they were holding a Torah stolen by US troops in Mosul, Iraq.
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